Transcendent

by Jay Antani

Thirty trillion miles from Earth, plying the gulf between our solar system and the new human cities on the planet Prosperity, the colony ship Transcendent suffers a disaster that disables its engines and kills every member of its crew—all except one.

Panicked, medic Troy Hartman finds his approaching certain death vying with the sheer will to survive as he scrambles to revive the drifting ship. With the help of OTTO, the ship’s AI, Troy sets out to repair the damage, hotwire the engines, and establish communication with anyone out in the dark and forbidding void.

And as all hope seems to be fading, a mysterious lifeline appears—a signal from an unknown source, prompting Troy to redouble his last-ditch effort at making contact and changing course. Especially when he realizes that he may not be the last living human on board, after all.

Genres: Science Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published April 19, 2023

About the author

Jay Antani is a lifelong lover of stories, both the personal and the fantastic. He came to writing by way of film studies, commercial illustration, and film journalism. After receiving his MFA from USC, Jay published “The Leaving of Things” (Lake Union, 2014), an award-winning coming-of-age saga about finding one’s voice in a world of clashing and competing cultures. “Edge of Light” is a total departure, a YA sci-fi adventure set against the backdrop of war, environmental collapse, and a possible alien pandemic. As a fan of alien invasion stories, adventurous journeys, and conspiratorial thrillers, “Edge of Light” packs in everything Jay loves about the sci-fi genre while continuing his exploration of such themes as friendship, loyalty, and courage amidst the call of destiny. Connect with Jay at jayantani.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Connect with Jay at jayantani.com

Reviews

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when an author can take less and give me more, and that is what Jay Antani has done with his novella, Transcendent.

On earth, Troy was a doctor, but on the Transcendent, he was a jack of all trades. It was his chance to be a part of the next group to settle on Prosperity. Would he regret it when a catastrophic accident kills everyone but him…and the pod people? LOL

I immediately thought of The 100, when Jay Antani described them hibernating, because interstellar flight took so many years. And, that is how he found himself on his own, trying to save his own life…and Tara’s, when he finds her outside her pod, the only other person to survive when the power went out.

A message from an unidentifiable source gave him hope and he would use the lander to try and reach them.

As the story and characters developed into an unputdownable moment, the pacing picked up and I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know if they would survive and who was trying to help them. It has a sad ending, but I felt it was appropriate. Jay Antani wanted to give me an exciting experience and he accomplished that with ‘flying’ colors.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Transcendent by Jay Antani.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Transcendent is book 1 in A Survival Adventure by Jay Antan. I believe that this novella is different from most SiFi books that I have read. There are not many characters in the story. Troy, the main character, is a Doctor on board a spaceship. I don't want to spoil the book, so I can only say most of the story centers around Troy and OTTO (A-I). This novella is not a fast and furious story but the author lead me down a logical chain of events. I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Andrew Shortall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this one and it's definitely my kind of sci-fi. I enjoyed the characters and the way they interact with each other, especially the ship's A.I. and I felt the dialogue was pretty natural. It may be a fairly short read (I was done in less than 2 hours) but it was full of tension from the first pages. I really wanted the story to continue. I absolutely never give spoilers, but the ending was lovely too. I'm off to look and see if there's a continuation because I honestly want more! Great writing, fantastic pace and a true page turner.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[John Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super fun ride. I loved the pace and flow of this story.

[Karen Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intense and exciting story about a catastrophic accident aboard a long-haul spacecraft bearing supplies to a distant human colony.

Transcendent by author Jay Antani is an exciting and suspense-laden new science fiction novella about an accident occurring in deep space when a long-haul spacecraft bearing supplies to a distant human colony experiences a rupture. It is told from the viewpoint of the ship’s medical officer, who was in the right place at the right time to survive the initial catastrophic event that killed the four other crew members who were awake and outside of their sleep pods at the time.

Troy Hartman is an extremely engaging and sympathetic character faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. He’s a medical doctor with just enough emergency training under his belt, received immediately before launch, to serve in the secondary capacity of engineer’s assistant. In other words, repairing the Transcendent is not exactly in his wheelhouse. However, he does all he can to save himself and the remaining crew in hibernation, including their one passenger, the seven-year-old daughter of the ship’s lost commander. We learn a lot about Troy’s backstory as he works to save what’s left of the Transcendent and its passengers, and I really enjoyed these looks into his past, especially his brief interlude with the woman, Mallika, and her son. These moments of reflection are a nice pause to take a breath between the intense action sequences.

The story’s action goes full throttle from the moment the accident occurs and is somewhat reminiscent of Andy Weir’s The Martian. Troy must take steps to use his dwindling resources efficiently and effect a solution efficiently, only he’s much more out of his element, has fewer resources, knowledge, and skills, and has a far smaller window of opportunity in which to work. He uses the onboard AI, OTTO, to evaluate possible scenarios, but for every hopeful step forward, there is another heartbreaking stumble back. The story takes an awesome left turn toward its final resolution, and there are enough unknowns left hanging that the author could develop more stories using this one as a jumping-off point. The author’s storytelling is so good I would readily grab up this additional work.

I recommend TRANSCENDANT to science fiction readers who enjoy tales of long space voyages gone wrong, problem-solving action, with plenty of tech talk to make it all feel real.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

[MD Hanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Transcendent was a very interesting read. I liked the idea of a long space journey where something cataclysmic happening in the middle of the journey traveling to a far off world. Navigating around the inside and outside of the ship was very interesting and detailed. The AI character was also nively portrayed in the book. The story and characters were all entertaining, interesting, and nicely done.

[Frank Kelso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sci fi short story!

Loved the premise. How do you steer a spaceship if the control module is eject in a catastrophic failure. Call on Dr Troy and lovable sidekick AI called OTTO?

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella read like the beginning of a longer saga, especially toward its end, and I think I'd have been more interested in the story that was mostly just alluded to here: the colony that the main character wants to reach, and the mysterious signal he heads toward in desperation after his ship breaks down.

As it was… it felt long, even thought it was short. Most of the story was focused on a single character trying to fix his ship. Maybe it wasn't my type of story, but it felt like a lot of play-by-play; I would have enjoyed more world-building and interaction between characters.

3.5 stars, rounded up.
[I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.]

[Greg Braden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story . It could be the start of a series . I read it all in one sitting. Recommend the story and the author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading the latest book by Jay Antani -- a beautiful character study wrapped around a truly compelling sci-fi space adventure that's made for the big screen. It's an eerie setting, stranded trillions of miles from Earth after Transcendent, on its way to the new colonies on Prosperity, suffers a terrible accident that kills much of the crew and renders the ship dead in the water. The protagonist, Troy Hartman, is an extremely relatable and likable character, especially after we learn more about his backstory in Africa which provides glimpses of his past and adds emotional weight to the story. 

Science but more importantly, great science fiction really drives the plot as Troy struggles against the elements, and certain fate, to try and figure out a way out of his predicament. And then fate or something else awakens from cryosleep one of the ship's other inhabitants. Here's where the story really takes off as now Troy's mission to get help or get off the ship takes on a whole new scope and weight and gives him renewed urgency and purposes.

The action sequences are intense and the story reminiscent of Andy Weir's "The Martian," showcasing Troy's resourcefulness, determination and humanity. The novella takes an unexpected turn towards the end, which was pretty remarkable, leaving open the possibility for future stories. If you're a sci-fi fan and enjoy tales of space voyages gone awry, this is right up your alley. It's a fun, fast read and I desperately wanted to know more about what happens to the characters after that ending1

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this a 3.5 if that was possible. The lack of chapter breaks was frustrating. And the pacing was odd -- part one was pretty much the entire book from Troy's PoV, the second was just a sliver from Tara's PoV.

This did give me feels, there was a lot I liked about it. The space catastrophe was shocking, Troy working with OTTO the AI to fight for survival against fuck-all odds, the nerve-wracking EVA. It was poignant when he realized he'd forgotten to say goodbye to OTTO before he went into hypersleep, not realizing until it was too late that the electronics would be out and OTTO DOA when Troy woke. Also poignant seeing all the other hibernators "deceased" and deciding to let them fly off together in frozen peace instead of ejecting them per protocol.

I thought for a hot sec that the child Tara surviving in the hibernation chamber would turn into some kind of monster horror show. Troy dying at the end to save lil Tara was sad af but oddly satisfying. She'll never have any idea all the shit he went through to get them to safety. No one believes what little of the story she does remember.

But overall the uneven pacing and hazy ending kept this from being four stars for me. The internal struggles Troy dealt with about his family and the civilians he'd treated badly during his tour of service weren't integrated well either imo. The aliens or whatever saved Tara are never explained, and honestly part two felt kind of like a cop out. But I'd be interested to see a sequel from Tara's PoV.

Loved this quote:
The sight of the stars, a bottomless and breadthless canyon of death, was enough to stop anyone's heart from shock if it wasn't so glorious.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story says right on the cover it is “a survival adventure”, so I was expecting some excitement. Things literally begin with a bang! After that, the clock is ticking.
I was rooting for Troy Hartman, who is attempting to survive the adventure. The science of maintaining a spaceship during interstellar flight appealed to my sci fi geek self. There were elements that could excite fans of “The Martian,” but also “2001”. I felt the ending answered just enough, and left the proper amount rather ambiguous.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t feel entirely satisfied with where this left off. The survival and ship repair parts of the story were written well enough. It’s all pretty straightforward, but the main character was developed well for how short the story is. However, I found myself more interested in this mysterious signal and in the bits of Tara’s story at the colony and those weren’t given much time or explanation.

If you’re more interested in seeing how someone deals with a catastrophic disaster in space and are okay with the cosmic mystery remaining an unexplained plot device, I would recommend this. If you’d be disappointed by the lack of resolution, then this may not be for you.

[WyoGal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The middle is amazing!

The beginning of this novella is full of character names and back and forth chatter, which is a lot to process. But then it doesn’t matter because the protagonist is on his own. That’s when the intensity builds, and the pages turn faster and faster. But then the ending happens, and it’s not the sci-fi alien encounter I was hoping for. The story gets a little mystical and a bit like Alice down the rabbit hole in terms of changing physical realities. The epilogue is curious. Maybe there’s a follow up story in the future? I almost feel cheated by the end, but the middle is very immersive in terms of the action and life-or-death stakes.

[Louis Lampe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good book, fairly well written, just didn´t really grab me, so not a great, memorable book. 3 stars.

[AHZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.50/5 for this one.

[Art Petrosemolo · Rating 2 out of 5]

too far fetched

Missed the mark for me. Read it in a few hours and not sure what author trying to say or where he is going. One and done for me!